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In a televised address to the public on Thursday, Czech Health Minister Jan Blatný called on Czechs to maintain discipline and not break coronavirus rules in order to help contain the coronavirus epidemic. He also raised the seriousness of the more infectious “British” mutation of the virus which is currently spreading in society. The appeal comes at a time when several Czech hospitals are being forced to divert all capacities to fight the epidemic.
Since Christmas, life in the Czech Republic has been running under the strictest possible counter-epidemic measures. With the exception of essential suppliers, shops and gastronomy businesses are closed and group gatherings are also banned. Nevertheless, statistics continually indicate that the measures seem to be having little real impact. Indeed, European Commission data shows that the country has had one of the worst rates of new cases on the continent over the past two weeks. This has left the Czech health system continually tee
The Czech government failed to decide on a coal phase-out date on Monday as the proposal based on the coal commission’s recommendation did not find sufficient support among ministers.
The document will be put to a debate among ministries and stakeholders, said Trade, Industry, and Transport Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO, Renew). This means that the government’s final decision has been postponed. “We are not under time pressure,” said Havlíček after the meeting.
Although the country’s coal commission has recommended shutting down Czech coal mines by 2038, Environmental Minister Richard Brabec (ANO, Renew) and ministers from the junior coalition party of social-democrats (ČSSD, S&D) favour an earlier phase-out in 2033, and Health Minister Jan Blatný (independent) called for the phase-out to be “as soon as possible”.
AstraZeneca vaccine should be available in the Czech Republic in 2-3 weeks
The newly-approved vaccine may eventually be available to general practitioners across the Czech Republic
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The first deliveries of the vaccine from AstraZeneca may reach the Czech Republic in two to three weeks, Health Minister Jan Blatný has told journalists. The vaccine was recommended by the European Medicines Agency and later approved by the European Commission on Friday.
Blatný did not elaborate on the quantity of the vaccine that would arrive in the Czech Republic with the first delivery.
Since this vaccine can be stored and transported at refrigerator-level temperatures, general practitioners may take part in distributing the vaccine more easily. Current vaccines, which need to be stored at much lower temperatures, are largely administered by hospitals.